Pharmacists have called on the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, to address the issue of so- called "invalid" claims for essential medication under the medical care and drug refund schemes.
They claim that patients will suffer if proposals due to be implemented in six weeks' time are not altered.
According to the IPU, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, many claims currently labelled as invalid are the result of "gross inefficiencies" within the health boards and the General Medical Payments Board.
It estimates that in over 95 per cent of cases, the invalid claims are due to administrative failures beyond the control of the pharmacists.
From April 1st, patients whose details are not properly recorded on a central database will no longer be entitled to free medicines.
The Minister for Health announced the new measures in December 2002 in an effort to achieve savings of €2 million in invalid claims made by community pharmacists.
However, the IPU said yesterday no attempt had been made to address the lack of an efficient patient registration system which is the cause of many of these claims.
In a briefing note on invalid claims, the IPU gave examples of how patients could suffer under the system.
"One member [of the IPU\] told of an instance where a patient, who according to health board records died on 16th December 2002, had her medical card cancelled only to have the patient visit the pharmacy last week with a new script," it stated.
The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Ms Liz McManus, is to table a parliamentary question on the matter in the Dáil next week.
"I am shocked at the approach being adopted by the Minister and the Department. 60,000 people are now at risk of being denied medication even though they could be in desperate need of treatment," Ms McManus said last night.